


Rose Gold

by JadzPackett



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adorable Choi Soobin, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Awkward Romance, Best Friends Choi Beomgyu & Choi Yeonjun, Best Friends Choi Soobin & Choi Yeonjun, Best Friends Huening Kai & Kang Taehyun, Childhood Friends Choi Beomgyu & Choi Yeonjun, Choi Soobin Is Bad At Feelings, Choi Soobin/Huening Kai Fluff, Choi Yeonjun Is Bad At Feelings, Huening Kai-Centric, Slow Romance, Student Huening Kai, Student Kang Taehyun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:16:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25539397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JadzPackett/pseuds/JadzPackett
Summary: Huening Kai was a relatable teen for the most part. He lived in a two-story house with his adoptive parents, both of whom loved and cared for him very much. He attended high school for his senior year, and although his grades weren't the best, he kept steady in his work. He wasn't the happiest kid alive, but still remained optimistic for the future and never dwelled too much on the past.He had spent the past seventeen years of his life living amongst the human race where he thought he belonged, but one Sunday night, while walking home from his best and only friend Taehyun's, his life suddenly turns a full 180 and he's left facing the lies of his past, present, and future --And his new life as a celestial being.
Relationships: Choi Beomgyu/Kang Taehyun, Choi Soobin/Huening Kai
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> \- cross-published on Wattpad  
> \- updates coming soon (hopefully before the school year starts)

The planet Mercury was alive that night, but it was in no way a place you wanted to be.

Hundreds of soldiers formed lines in front of the castle that once stood tall above the horizon, but was now slowly crumbling underneath the colorful flames that stretched out over the land; blinding lights cracked the planet open like an eggshell, and from the crevices, toxic gases rose from its core; deafening squeals of the townspeople erupted into the starry universe as suffocating smoke billowed over their homes which laid in ruins.

That night, Mercury was at the mercy of the Celestial Council, and as the battle raged on, their patience was wearing as thin as the planet's atmosphere.

The Emperor is who they wanted to speak to. They had heard rumors that he had plans to take over Earth by destroying its moon. The Council could never let this go through for two major reasons: not only was Earth the most valued planet in all of their part of the cosmos, it would disrupt the balance; that was something the Celestial Council simply couldn't afford. Their plans were to resolve the issue peacefully, but the Emperor had a reputation of being petulant and becoming hostile. As soon as he had heard about the Council's supposed-to-be surprise visit, he had gathered his military.

The Council was left with no choice.

"Go, quickly." The Emperor frantically waved his hands at the guards that stood on either side of him as the room shook. Dust from what remained of the ceiling fell onto their already dirty shoulders; their suits of armor scraped against the concrete floor as they quickly turned and noisily ran up the stairs.

"Do it now! Hurry!" The Emperor called after them, turning to escape from the falling pillars. He was also known to be somewhat of a coward, always running from the fight, basically giving the military general the role of the ruler for the extension of the chaos. That way, if they lost, all of the blame would be deposited onto him and not on the Emperor himself -- and based on what he could hear outside, he knew that that would most definitely be the outcome.

Gathering his robe in his arms, he only managed to take one small, worthless step forward before jolting backward again, just barely managing to avoid the pierce of an electrifying arrow that wedged itself into the throne just behind him. The lightning danced across the golden structure before the whole royal chair exploded, the broken pieces pelting the Emperor who uselessly tried to protect himself with the thin material of his clothes.

With wide eyes, he slowly turned his head, following the line of fire. He nearly jumped right out of his robe when he saw the black silhouette of a council member floating against the bright chaos of Mercury, shaped in a ghostly way due to his own silky robe flowing with the whistling wind; all the Emperor could see were his eyes, which mimicked the dangerous sparking of his bow's new arrow.

Not wanting to end up like his throne, he turned sharply on his heels and attempted to flee once more, but only got so far before another shell-shocking rumble finally made the ceiling collapse.

The Emperor let out a mighty yell as he held up his arms. The whole planet seemed to shake as the rubble fell around him, encasing him in a perfect circle; he only lowered his arms once the quaking had stopped. The Emperor knew he had no places to run. Not with the pieces of his once grand castle blocking all exits, and not with the sudden appearance of another council member, and even if he could, he wouldn't get very far with two merciless arrows pointed right between his eyes.

"Half of your kingdom has fallen," the first, robed council member spoke. Even without the structure of the castle, his voice still boomed throughout what was left of the throne room. "Your citizens and military are retreating; it's time you give into the Council while you still have something to rule."

His echo soaked into the air. The Emperor laughed.

"You Council members think you're so slick. I'm afraid it's already too late." He pointed to the ruins of the stairs, unable to conceal his greedy excitement. "My plan has already begun!"

His laughter erupted into the sky. It was joyous, as if he already had the whole Milky Way in the palm of his hand. He could imagine it, all planets spanning from this one to Pluto. His name would be carved into each moon and every comet, the sun would shine just for him, every martian and every human would serve him with nothing but utmost loyalty; this galaxy would be his, just the way he thought it was meant to be.

The Emperor was expecting a surprised, maybe dreadful response of some sort. He had just told the two Council members that the Earth's moon was doomed, about to be blown to pieces that would forever fly among the stray rocks of space, never to be whole again. He was too caught up in his fantasy to notice the change of glow in their eyes; his laughter came to a sudden stop as the whole planet seemed to stop spinning.

Other than the spitting of the flames and the crackling of the sparks, everything seemed to come to a halt. The two Council members' eyes gleamed a bright white. The Emperor watched in slight astonishment, but mostly horror as hundreds of men from the Celestial military approached the barely standing grand doors, the ground shaking with their marching feet. The robed Councilman lowered his bow and raised his hand, then thrusted it forward; instantaneously, the doors were blown off of their already weak hinges and the men started to climb over the rubble and up the castle.

The Emperor was in shock only for a brief moment before he laughed again.

"You really think it'll be that easy?" He howled. "You could have a million men storm my castle and you will still fail to stop my destiny! The only way to do so is to destroy my chip, and even you don't know where it is!"

The two Councilmen exchanged glances. The Emperor's obnoxious laughter was cut short by the second one's arrow grazing his ear. He could feel the jolting electricity in every tooth of his skull and burning the side of his face, causing him to scream in both surprise and oncoming agony. He knew it wasn't just poor aim. If the Councilman wanted him dead, he wouldn't have missed; even so, the Emperor refused to give in. By this time, what remained of Mercury's men began to come to their ruler's aid.

Again, they were left without any other options.

The second Councilman pulled another arrow back. Just one would be powerful enough to wipe a third of them out, and although obliterating a whole planet was the last thing he wanted to do, the grip of his fingers loosened, letting the arrow go.

The light that illuminated the room was blinding. The robed councilman couldn't help but cringe at the cries of the men as a wave of electricity rippled through the floor and up the walls before it finally combusted. The men and rubble flew every which way as the dust and ash that coated the stone created a cloud. The two councilmen lost sight of one another, but they could feel where their lifeforce was the strongest.

The robed councilman nocked a fresh arrow. His eyes stung with the slightly suffocating cloud and he tried blinking the tears away; but even with his spiritual senses, he was completely blind to the flying large rock that pelted him in the chest with so much force, it knocked him out of the air. He held tightly onto his bow as he braced himself for the impact of the solid ground. The silk of his robe tore as he skidded to a halt, his beloved weapon hugged tightly to his person, but even so, he heard the heartbreaking snap of the wooden bow.

Furious but dazed, he slowly opened his eyes. He couldn't tell if the darkness was the open space or the clouds of smoke that blanketed Mercury. He sadly looked down at his bow, knowing he couldn't do much without it; how was he to help his friend now?

Rubbing his more-than-likely bruised chest, he sat up with a small groan as an aching pain shot down his spine and into his tailbone. He wasn't used to being struck, and although he hadn't known what had hit him then, he could see what was about to crush him now and quickly rolled to the side to avoid a broken piece of the castle that had finally toppled from its hold -- or so it seemed.

"For someone who acts so tough, you sure are a baby when you're flicked."

The councilman lifted his head just as a Minion of Mercury jumped down from a pile of stone. He landed with a puff of ash rolling away from his big, rust-colored feet, a rock in his hand -- that's when the councilman concluded what it must have been.

He wasn't one who liked to be teased, and he also wasn't one who let things go so easily. As much as it hurt his very soul to throw his bow aside, having his pride stomped on hurt even more; he stood with his fists raised, his ripped and tattered robe falling to his ankles.

The minion found him amusing, and that was the last straw.

The councilman took him off guard with the first swing. This wasn't his first rodeo with a Minion of Mercury, so he knew all of their weak points, or where their solid state was most malleable, such as their throat, fingers, and knees. It wouldn't do an amazing amount of damage, but it would definitely disorient them, or possibly even disable them if you struck hard enough. The councilman had gone right for the throat since it was the most open area for attack; he could feel and hear his knuckles cracking with the contact.

The minion dropped the rock as he stumbled backward, holding a hand to his dented throat. So he didn't create his own dent in his pride, the councilman concealed the throbbing pain in his fingers and went for another blow before the minion had a chance to recover, this time looking to disable the use of his hands, but to his surprise, the minion was faster.

The sudden collision of a metallic fist made the councilman trip over himself. Blood gathered around his tongue as his jaw painfully set itself back into place. His head felt light, but he still pushed himself back to his feet, spitting the mixture of crimson and saliva onto the ground; if he was angry before, he was pissed now.

Although he would never admit it, hand-to-hand combat was not one of the councilman's strengths, but he would be damned if he got his ass handed to him by an overgrown pumpkin. That didn't mean he didn't know how to throw a punch. He was plenty strong and he wasn't afraid to bloody his knuckles. Pain was always pushed to the back of his mind, and instead he fueled himself with the thought of failure, which was something he couldn't stand, so it gave him adrenaline pumping through his veins and a reason to fight.

He also had excellent stamina, but the more the two rumbled, the weaker he felt himself becoming. At first, he thought it might have been because of the fall from just a few minutes prior, but the pain from it had already subsided, or at least was now masked with the new bruises and ripped skin he received with every blow. He was used to standing from afar with the comfort and security of his bow, so he wasn't sure if this new experience of being front and center was contributing to his slowly weakening muscles; but then, he noticed the blue glow radiating from the minion's pocket -- that's when he realized that this minion was a warlock, and he had activated Celestite.

It was as if upon realizing the spell being casted emphasized its effect. The councilman felt like all circulation in his body was being cut off, the strong, familiar tingling sensation spreading from his toes to every last strand of his hair. He tried so desperately to stay on his feet, but soon his legs gave into the weight of his own upper half. He found himself unable to move, unable to even part his bloody lips; all he could do was watch as the minion pulled a Hydrablade from its pocket.

Named after the largest constellation to take up the starry night, Hydrablades were the only known weakness to yellow-golds, that which the councilman was of. If it even nicked their skin, their blood would boil and they would burn alive from the inside out. The materials to make such a weapon were incredibly difficult to find, let alone the process of blacksmithing behind it.

This was the first and only time the councilman had ever felt fear sting his heart.

The blade glinted even though there was no light, as if taunting him. The minion sure had fun doing so, as he had a little skip to his step, parading in his inevitable victory. He danced closer and closer, carelessly swinging the Hydrablade about; then, he went for the kill, and to this day, the councilman hated how he had closed his eyes.

He waited for the agonizing burning sensation to ripple through each nerve in his body, but it never came.

Slowly, his eyes opened again, then widened to the size of Jupiter.

The scene of the Hydrablade slowly sinking into his friend's chest still gives him nightmares.

As soon as he felt the spell break, the councilman jumped forward, holding out his arms for the other to fall into. It pained his muscles to even twitch his fingers, but his heart ached even more as he looked down at his blood-and-ash covered companion. He noticed a large tear in his clothing, a rock protruding from his abdomen; a hefty wound, but not one that would have killed him.

He gingerly rested his fingers on the second councilman's stomach, tears clouding his vision. He was too devastated to be angry; the minion saw this and took this time to run, which was a wise decision.

"Why?" He asked, his hand shaking at the sticky feeling of blood staining his skin. "Why didn't you--"

"The Emperor is dead," his friend barely managed to speak up, cutting him off. There was a croak in his voice and it cracked as he attempted to hide the pain, but it was evident in his eyes; he had to swallow the blood gurgling in his throat to continue. "The Earth and its moon will remain together, just as it should be."

The blade sank deeper into his heart and he couldn't help but cry out through his teeth. The tears of the robed councilman finally fell, mixing with the blood on his cheeks. He tried to stop the blade from completely disappearing, and although he knew there was nothing he could do, he still begged.

"Stay," he said, emotion so heavy in his voice that it came out as nothing more than a breath. "Please. Please, stay with me."

"I-I'll be back," his friend whispered, his voice already fading with his lifeforce. "You ju-st have t-to wait. Y-you can- do that, right? N-no matter h-ow long?"

The councilman nodded, a suppressed sob finally escaping him. The other's eyes and blade wound began to glow as one final, heart-wrenching scream came from deep within the agony he felt in his last moments; it only ended when he burst into a shimmering dust. Fragments of what used to make up his welcoming heart and kind soul swirled into the air, piercing the veil of heavy smoke and illuminating the dark sky. They twinkled among the trillions of stars, just where they belonged.

The councilman watched as what remained of his friend slipped through his fingers like grains of sand, disappearing into the broken shell of Mercury. The seams of the universe ripped open as the Celestial military began to retreat back to the safety of the Grand Palace. In front of the councilman, a portal of his own manifested, and on the other side stood a woman dressed in a flowing pastel gown; she extended a hand for him to take, a sad, knowing look in her eyes.

Wiping away his tears, the councilman forced himself to his feet, the glitter cascading down his robe and fading into nothingness. He stumbled over to his discarded bow and, holding it close to his chest, he took the woman's hand and stepped through.

The universe stitched itself back together behind them.

And he waited.


	2. Chapter I

The smell of freshly baked cookies was one of Huening Kai’s favorite things on the face of this Earth; but, then again, what human didn’t like it?

Kai swallowed his salivation as he watched Taehyun’s mom pull her unbelievably delicious cookies out of the oven, steam rolling out into the kitchen and magnifying the aroma. This was only one of many things Kai loved about eating at the Kang residence, placed just behind the fact that he simply absolutely loved his best friend's family. 

Although Kai was a shy kid, he had felt immediately comfortable when he first stepped foot into Taehyun’s home. Not only were the Kangs a welcoming family, the decor of their house seemed to mimic their personalities -- pleasant, serene, and adequate -- so he always found time to spend here, with his second family, just as he had for the whole weekend. 

They were just finishing up their dinner, which was also graciously made by Taehyun’s mom. The salisbury steak, corn, nor had the potatoes settled in Kai’s stomach yet, but the thought of snacking on her chocolate chip cookies made it seem as if he hadn’t eaten at all; Taehyun snickered at the hunger in Kai’s eyes as they watched them on the cooling rack. It had made Kai think he drooled, so he quickly looked down at the dark oak table expecting a small puddle, his cheeks already becoming pink from slight embarrassment. This made Taehyun laugh fully, his eyes turning into a pair of dark crescents.

“You’re going to drown yourself,” he said jokingly, then gripped the edge of the table as Kai pushed his shoulder, subconsciously wiping his mouth.

Kai was about to retort, but Taehyun’s father -- who had been amused by watching the two interact all throughout dinner -- spoke up. “Are you spending the night again, Kai?” He asked, making the two pause their squabble.

“No, I’m not,” Kai answered, landing a playful punch on Taehyun’s shoulder before continuing with, “My parents want me home tonight because they’re planning a special breakfast tomorrow.” It was a Sunday night, but Kai’s parents never minded him staying a school night over at Taehyun’s. He had done it many times before, and it was actually what he preferred, as Taehyun lived closer and they could walk to school together; but, if Kai’s parents wanted him home tonight, he’d happily give up the close walking distance to spend time with them. 

Hanging the pink checkered oven mitts back on the wall, Taehyun’s mom inquired, “Is it for the anniversary of your adoption?” 

“No. That’s next week,” Kai kindly corrected and Taehyun’s mom whispered an, ‘oh, that’s right’ to herself, chuckling at her small mistake. 

“Am I still invited to the party after ruthlessly kicking your ass at Tenzi?” Taehyun asked, quickly receiving another hit on his arm. Instead of scolding their son for his language, his parents just laughed. That was another thing Kai liked about this family: although they were strict, they still allowed him to be an adult. Whereas Kai’s parents gave him plenty of freedom, but still treated him as if he were in middle school and not a seventeen-year-old who’s going to graduate in four months. 

“I don’t know if I want a party, to be honest,” Kai said suddenly. Both Mr. and Mrs. Kang looked at him in surprise as Taehyun’s lips straightened in curiosity, so he quickly added, “It’s just… having a birthday party, adoption anniversary, and a graduation party all in one year is a little much, you know?”

All three Kang’s nodded in unison and understanding. They knew Kai wasn’t a sociable kid and much preferred to stay in his own little corner with those close to him; if Kai were to have a celebration for his adoption anniversary, he would just invite this family and his small extended one. No more -- and if it were any less, he would invite Taehyun and his cousin, just for a little get-together.

"Do you still want to do the merged graduation?" Taehyun asked hopefully before thanking his mom for the cleaning his plate, his father repeating after him. Kai dipped his head in a silent 'thank you'.

"Of course," he said with an eager nod. "We have to have one more party together before college." 

Taehyun's handsome smile soon returned, stretching across half of his face. Although the thought of the two eventually having to go their separate ways made him want to curl up in a ball under his blanket and cry, seeing his friend so happy made Kai momentarily happy as well and he mirrored Taehyun's expression.

The past ten years of their lives seemed to have gone by without much thought, Kai felt. When he thought back to when they had first met in second grade, he could picture what Taehyun had looked like perfectly, as if he still sees that innocent little boy everyday of his life -- in a way, he still did, as the only thing that really changed about Taehyun was he had grown to be more masculine. He still had the same straight smile, the same childish eyes, and even the same personality and sense of humor that had overall drawn Kai toward him, despite his natural wallflower nature. 

It really made him wonder how different his life would have been if he hadn't approached Taehyun and asked him to be his partner for the cookie lab that day; Kai sure as hell knew that Taehyun wouldn't have approached him since he was already friends with half of the class.

Kai really did consider himself lucky that he was able to stick around Taehyun, unlike half of the kids that later grew up and completely disregarded their old bond as if it had never existed in the first place. Kai figured it helped how they had many similar interests, but even so, the cliques they should have fit into were total opposites. 

Taehyun wasn't a jock, as he was interested in both athletics and education, but the sportsy peers of their high school is who he could be seen hanging around if Kai wasn't with him. Although he was a bit on the smaller side, height and weight wise, Taehyun still looked like he belonged within the athletic group; Kai, on the other hand, was more of a loner. 

Other than Taehyun, he didn't have anyone he talked to outside of school, which is what he considered a true friendship to be (if you only ever talked inside of school, it felt more like a "business" relationship to him). Taehyun had tried to introduce him to the jocks, but Kai didn't quite click with them. He didn't necessarily dislike them, but he definitely couldn't see himself talking to them on his own, let alone hanging out with them -- the only time he actually communicated with them was when Taehyun was around, but even so, he only spoke with simple nods and shakes of his head. 

He truly was lucky to have someone like Taehyun by his side, and he could only hope Taehyun felt the same. 

Although he had only shown nothing but the utmost loyalty toward Kai, always putting him before anyone else, there was the irrational fear constantly in the back of his mind that Taehyun would turn on him someday. 

But, as he sat at the table with Taehyun and his parents, chatting and laughing and living in the moment, he quickly realized how silly it was and pushed it further into the corner of his mind.

~*~

As soon as the time turned to seven o' clock, Kai's phone dinged as his screen lit up with a message from his mom, asking him to start coming home. 

He was a little bummed since they were in the middle of an intense game of Uno, with Taehyun's mom in a staggering lead with two cards, followed by Kai, who had six; Taehyun had just laid down a wild draw four he had been saving for Kai, leaving seven cards in his hands. 

"Awe, that's really too bad," Kai said in mock disappointment as he snapped his fingers, placing his cards down on the table. Even if he didn't draw four cards, the chances of him winning were incredibly slim, as the color was green and he had every color but with no wilds. "Just as I was hoping for more cards." 

Taehyun childishly mimicked him, his lips curled into an annoyed frown. Kai had been on his ass the whole game. Whenever he got a chance to screw him over, he did, and Taehyun had been waiting for a chance to bite back. 

"Just wait until our rematch," he said as he merged Kai's hand with the draw pile. Taehyun eyed him as if he had just killed his cat. "You'll regret this day for the rest of your life."

"Yeah, yeah." Kai waved him off dismissively, trying his best not to smile. Taehyun's mother handed him a container with what remained of the cookies inside. He didn't have to thank her; she knew that Kai's family was always happy to receive her baked goods, and she especially knew that they enjoyed them since Taehyun comes home with an empty container in two days time. 

Whilst his parents gave a normal goodbye, Taehyun called after him,“Mark my words, Huening Kai!” as he trotted down the stairs toward the door. He could never give a simple goodbye, Kai knew, but he took it as one anyway. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow!” Kai replied, raising his hand high in the air so he knew the family could see it over the stairs. 

Then, slipping on his shoes, he stepped out into the humid night.

His corner of the earth was in its last hour before darkness as the sun was just starting to set. Kai took a moment under the overhang of the stairs to make sure that he hadn’t forgotten anything. He never came over with much. Being the second place he spent the most time in, the Kang’s already had half of his wardrobe and games he liked to play only while staying over; even though there was a guest bedroom, Taehyun kept everything in his own room, which becomes their shared room during visits.

He had his phone in his pocket and the container in his hands, so he was set to go. 

Kai only lived five blocks away from Taehyun and he didn’t need to be home until seven-thirty on school nights, so he walked slowly through the neighborhood. He had seen it countless times before, and yet there always seemed to be something new, somewhere, in someone’s home or backyard. They could be small changes, but he would still notice them. He almost knew all of the neighbors by name, too, and he listed them off as he walked by. 

The first house he passed after Taehyun’s belonged to a young wealthy couple, which made sense since this was a wealthy neighborhood. Kai had seen them eating dinner on their deck before, and it seemed to be a weekly routine of theirs, only taking place on nice Saturday nights. Their names were Ray and Jin-gi. He had only met them a few times before, but they were nice, from what he could tell; they had bought Taehyun a basketball hoop for his most recent birthday (it was mostly a thank you gift for finding their dog that had gotten out of the house), so there was no reason for him not to believe in their kindness. 

The next house he passed was the oddball on the street: instead of the siding mostly used in this day and age, it was made of brick. He knew a lonely grandfather that went by the just as odd name of Guk lived inside, all by his lonesome. Kai wasn’t sure how he was able to afford it, but he enjoyed Guk’s presence and the old-man-humor that came with it. Oftentimes, when Taehyun and Kai are playing soccer out on the street (well… it was more like Taehyun played and Kai attempted to), he would watch them from his driveway and act as a coach. The two boys always found it amusing, and they figured that they were one of the few sources of entertainment Guk received, so they never minded his hilarious input. 

Other than Taehyun’s, the last house Kai passed was his favorite aesthetic-wise, and it was his shortcut to the trail that led almost straight to his own abode. The owners of the house consisted of a rather big family, with two parents and five children (all under the age of twelve), which Taehyun would often babysit for. They never minded Kai using their yard for the short walk to the trail, and there have been times where they would stop and chat with him. Ask how school was going, how his parents were, what trouble he and Taehyun may have caused, etcetera, etcetera; but it didn’t seem as if that would happen tonight since all of the lights were off and one of their cars were gone, so Kai just headed straight for the trail. 

This is the path he always walked whenever he came over to Taehyun’s, so he often became mindless once he passed into the coverage of the trees; the environment seemed to darken as the leaves shielded what remained of the skylight. Kai wasn’t scared, though, as the worst thing that’s happened in this town since he’s moved here was a shoplifting at the small local mall, but the young thief eventually ended up returning that package of scented chapstick, which had remained untouched. 

The town wasn’t small. It wasn’t an ‘everyone knows everyone’ scenario, but it wasn’t nearly as big or important enough to be considered a city; it was the type of town that you never knew you were in until you passed the Please visit us again! sign. It was populated only by 2,000 citizens, which was the amount of students that attended the high school in two towns over — the number of students that attended Kai’s school was only a fraction of the size, consisting of 300 kids total. It was the type of school where you knew everyone only because you grew up with them, not because you were friends. With the small student body, there wasn’t much trouble, either. Sure, there were a few kids who have done dumb things in the past, but there have been no violent altercations or suspensions in years. The worst you heard about was someone that cussed in the middle of class and the teacher scolded them for it. 

There really wasn’t much to fear here in this town, not even when you went out on late night walks all by your lonesome, just as Kai was doing now. 

Even so, he knew what paranoia felt like, and as he walked further down the quiet trail, practically drooling over the cookies, he couldn’t help but notice the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. 

Kai came to a slow stop. 

The trees seemed to stand still with him, as if they had been playing a joke. The once calming scenery turned eerie as he stared down the direction he had just come from; the way the branches of the leaves curled mimicked that of a dark tunnel, and although he couldn’t see anyone or anything, he felt paranoid -- or, maybe, that was the exact reason why. 

Kai wasn’t far from his home. If he quickened his pace, he would make it to his doors in as little as five minutes; but he knew that he would be paranoid all night if he didn’t look over his shoulder one last time, so when he came to a crosswalk at the end of the trail, he took a moment to pause and turn around.

His eyebrows creased as he forced himself to hyper-focus on the environment around him like it would suddenly give him the ability of night vision. He didn’t think about pulling out his phone, as if there was indeed someone following him, it would be rather dumb of him to completely give himself away. 

The trail remained silent. Kai figured his paranoia came from the fact that he and Taehyun had watched A Quiet Place, and although it was earlier in the day, the concept and graphics still freaked him out. He was one that couldn’t not make noise, and just the thought of being stuck in a world completely devoid of sound gave him chills.

He shook his head. That’s all it was, he knew. 

Basically hugging the container to his stomach, Kai spun on his heels. 

His head was so clouded with the thought of returning home safely that he was barely able to process the sudden feeling of his elbows scraping the ground, and pain rolling though his tailbone and up his spine. 

Kai heard the container roll to a stop somewhere within the fallen twigs and leaves. Dazed, he placed a hand over his chest where the force had struck him, sitting up with a spinning head. Even through the dark, he could tell his vision was blurred, the slight glimmer of the green leaves and the fading blue sky blended as one.

Before he could even try to assess the situation, a large hand tugged at the collar of his shirt, pulling him upward with a surprising amount of strength; Kai grunted, then nearly gagged at the foul stench that radiated off of the threat, his eyes actually starting to water. 

He quickly blinked the tears from his eyes, clearing his line of sight, and he immediately felt like passing out once he saw who he came face-to-face with.

Er… what.

“What the hell?!” Kai cried as he pushed himself away from the… the… thing. It seemed to glow even when there was no light, so he was able to get a good view of its ugly, rotten smile that smelt as if it had eaten a family of skunks -- its bubbly orange skin crinkled as it laughed at Kai’s terrified expression. 

He tried to run, turning so sharply that he could hear the fabric of his shirt tear, but he was met with the round chest of another creature. Before Kai could scream and call out for help, it clasped one of its dirty hands around his mouth, muffling his plea; its other arm concealed his arms to his side, so all he had to fight back were his legs. He thrashed as much as he possibly could, praying that he could somehow manage to escape these things, whatever they were, and sprint into the trees to one of the surrounding neighborhoods. But he was easily overpowered -- before he knew it, his legs were off the ground, and all he could do was helplessly squirm. 

“He’s definitely weaker than I remember,” the first thing said, its voice not nearly as menacing as Kai imagined it to be. “Do we even need to activate the stone?”

“Shut him up already,” the second whined, then yelled out, “GAH! He keeps licking my hand!” as he tightened his arm around Kai’s torso, squeezing the breath from his lungs. A pathetic whimper escaped the young boy as he found himself unable to even cry.

Soon, he started to lose his ability to struggle as well.

It wasn’t because he was tired. He had plenty of adrenaline pumping through his veins, enough to fuel him for a five mile run -- it was the sudden and intense tingling sensation that seemed to weigh down his muscles, making it near impossible to do something as simple as curl his toes. He would be damned if he gave in without a fight, though, and continued to do so until every nerve in his body began to shut down; he didn’t know why or how, but his arms and legs suddenly felt like lead, and all the energy he just had was gone. 

Kai thought to himself that this was it. That these creatures were going to do away with him and no one would know what had happened to him. He would never be heard from again. He replayed the conversation he had with the Kang’s earlier today and how he had said that he didn’t want a party for his adoption anniversary; he didn’t know that he wouldn’t have a choice now. No adoption anniversary, not shared graduation celebration, and no turning eighteen. 

All he could think about was how much he was going to miss out on. Taehyun was going to grow old without him, his parents would lose the only child they had, and his name would be carved into a school bench that no one would actually read and just sit on. 

His eyes reluctantly started to close. This was it. He was completely, 100% done for-

Zing-

Ssss-

CRACK!

The familiar feeling of Kai’s body meeting the asphalt made him groan, and he found himself discarded on the side of the trail, just a few inches away from rolling down the small hill. He forced his eyes open again, looking through his hair at the blinding colors that seemed to come from the sky. Shimmering sparks bounced and smoke slithered along the ground. He felt a slight burning sensation of his cheek, but he couldn’t move or use his voice; so he just watched, his eyes in a haze, as the oversized feet of those things scurried this way and that.

Then, as quickly as it happened, it ceased.

The colors faded, the sparks melted into the ground, and the smoke dissipated into nothingness. 

The last thought that came to Kai’s mind was how much he would miss his family.

And the last thing he saw was a pair of glowing white eyes.


End file.
